A man has been sentenced for supplying illegal drugs to a fellow student who was found dead in an Edinburgh loch.

Scott Mckerral, 20, from Campbeltown, received an 18-month supervision order and has been ordered to perform 210 hours of unpaid work on a Community Payback Order in a ruling handed down at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

The conviction was linked to the death of 21-year-old French student Antoine Muary.

Mr Muary was found in Duddingston Loch on December 2 last year, almost five weeks after disappearing from a party at the Milton Road campus of Edinburgh College.

Mr Mckerral, who was 19 at the time of the incident, has previously pled guilty to supplying a fungus containing psilocin – otherwise known as ‘Magic Mushrooms’ – at the Halls of Residence to “another or others and, in particular, to Antoine Maury” on 24 October 2016.

Sentence had been deferred for reports.

Mr Maury was born in Paris and had been at Edinburgh College for three months.

After disappearing from the party, there had been sightings of him running towards Duddingston Golf Course.

He was then witnessed in Holyrood Park, acting strangely and stripped to the waist.

Divers used sonar to search the loch and eventually found Mr Maury’s body.

There were still traces of psilocin in the body despite the amount of time in the water.

Sheriff John Cook extended the sympathy of the court to the family of Mr Muary.

He told Mr Mckerral that, from the Social Word report, it was evident that he had suffered remorse and been deeply affected by his friend’s death.

Sheriff Cook said he took into account that Mr Mckerral had been only 19 at the time and had no previous convictions.

He added: “Furthermore, the effect of your youth, the bearing it might have on your offending or your decision making or the opportunities available to you to yet make something of your life are all relevant factors that the court must take into account.

“The court must also take into account naivety and poor judgement in a young person.”

Sheriff Cook continued: “Given what I have said, although a custodial sentence is no doubt merited, it cannot be said there is no sentence other than a custodial sentence available to the court”.